How Strange
by AiDeeKay
Summary: Deanna goes back to Colorado, after her wish to get Oliver back fails. Or so she thinks. A Well-Timed Enchantment by Vivian Vande Velde.
1. My Cheeks Are Colorado

Disclaimer: I don't own any of A Well-Timed Enchantment's characters –maybe I'll make one up, up ahead—since they all belong to the mastermind of Vivian Vande Velde.

* * *

"Deanna, hurry up please. We don't want to miss the plane," said her mother. It has been a week since Deanna had a crazy adventure involving her cat turning into a human and dropping her watch back to the Dark Ages. Or maybe the Middle Ages? No, definitely the Dark Ages; feudalism hadn't been established yet.

"Mom, I can't find my watch," Deanna told her mother, panicked. She did _not_ go back in time, risking her life to retrieve her watch just to lose it in Chalon. She had looked in every room she had been the last week, when she remembered that she had put it in her rainbow sweater.

She triumphantly pulled it out. She heard a soft land, and turned around. Oliver looked at her with his green eyes. Her wish did not come true, as she had hoped. She felt like it would have worked, but it didn't. Maybe she made it complicated. She learned just how tricky magic could be so she made her wish as specific as possible. Maybe it was _too_ specific. She looked at Oliver, about ready to cry, when he jumped to her, and she caught him, giving him a hug that had she not thought about him, might have suffocated him.

"Deanna, let's go now. Say goodbye to your aunt."

"Yes mother." She went to the living room, where her aunt looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Adieu, adieu," she said. "I love you," she said in a thick accent. They tried, and like Deanna promised, she would try too.

"Adieu, ich lieben," she said, she did not realize she had spoken German.

She went with her mother to the car, and left Chalon.

Soon, they were back in Paris, and Deanna couldn't wait to be home. Oh, she didn't forget her mishap adventure, but she felt that by being home, she would hope to forget what happened. She pictured what she would tell her friends if they asked how her summer went: "Oh, very exciting. Very exciting indeed. My watch fell in a well and I had to go back in time with my cat to get it back. But the thing is: he turned human, and we fell in love," or "I fell in love with a cat I found," or even "I learned old French." None of them sounded _logical_ enough. No principles of Plato, or Aristotle, like Algernon—Stop. No need to go way back in time to compare her ideas with someone that for a moment she had thought was going to prevent her from saving the world as she knows it. Instead she concentrated on being a junior. Juniors had big privileges. They were able to leave campus; they were able to drop a class and have a free period; they were finally able to choose their classes. With the requirements out of the way, now Deanna wanted to have fun.

The plane ride back to America was short. She fell asleep for half the ride, missing views like Africa, or Spain. She safely reached Colorado, her home sweet home, when she saw the strangest thing: a young man with dark hair, fair skin, and deep green eyes. Very deep eyes, making her feel awkward. He was staring at her, as if evaluating her, to see if she was the person he was looking for—not in the where-has-she-been-all-my-life-looking-for. She saw this from a sidelong glance, and she didn't dare turn around, in fear that he was just some mirage, which could be, since it was summer, though Colorado didn't get _that_ hot. He was wearing normal clothes for the twenty-first century, and stood like a normal guy, but his eyes were unsettling.

She shook her head, and kept walking. Her mother had been very quiet for her, and then she looked at Deanna, and back at someone.

"Deanna, do you have an admirer?" she asked mischievously.

She felt like her cheeks went hot, but her mother must not have noticed, since she kept looking at her expectantly.

"No, of course not mom. What makes you think that?" she asked exasperated.

"Well, a boy is looking at you. Do you want to stop at the shop for a little while?"

"Mom, I do not need you doing this to me. I probably look like someone he knows, that's all. Can we go home now?"

Her mother, thrown aback, mumbled and led the way to their car, which had been moved during the last week of their vacation and borrowed to someone by the name of Timothy Davin (if you don't know who this is referring to…read more VVV).

"Damn this Timothy. Look at the mileage. As if he used the car to go to France himself," her mother kept muttering.

Deanna just relaxed into her car, sure than drunk people have used it, but the smell of her favorite spray still managed to cling to the car.

Her first day of school would be tomorrow, and she still needed to take her driving exam. She was sure she would pass. She had been studying all summer for it. She would be the first junior with a driver's license, and would get a lot of attention. Not that she wanted the attention. Maybe she would give it to her best friend. She loved attention. Or maybe on Gary, the hottest guy in her class.

_Oh Oliver_, she thought as she went to sleep. _I wish you were here with me_. She went to sleep, and the last thing she remembered were the hairs in her arms standing on end. _I can tell when there is magic now?_ She thought, incoherently.

* * *

So, watcha think? My first book that I read from Vivian Vande Velde. The first think I have EVER read from her was The Rumplestilkstin Story. Funny, funny.


	2. Emerald Blues

_Her first day of school would be tomorrow, and she still needed to take her driving exam. She was sure she would pass. She had been studying all summer for it. She would be the first junior with a driver's license, and would get a lot of attention. Not that she wanted the attention. Maybe she would give it to her best friend. She loved attention. Or maybe on Gary, the hottest guy in her class._

_Oh Oliver__, she thought as she went to sleep. __I wish you were here with me__. She went to sleep, and the last thing she remembered were the hairs in her arms standing on end. __I can tell when there is magic now?__ She thought, incoherently._

* * *

She dreamt –out of all people—about Leonard.

She was back at Castle Belesse and he was back to chasing her. Of course, he did it more intelligibly. He wasn't just blindly proclaiming his love for her, but with small gestures, unlike the Leonard she knew.

In her dream, it seemed as if she loved him too. She would daintily hold bouquets he gave her, or bat her eyelashes at him.

When she woke up, she felt weirded out. She doesn't hold _anything_ daintily. This is what she gets with growing up playing with boys instead of girls. And she doesn't bat her eyelashes either. That was too Barbie.

She also did _not_ like Leonard that way. In fact, she was pretty sure he hated her for what she did to him.

Not that she actually _made_ Bailen steal his clothes. That bastard lied about her so that he could get out scotch-free.

She glanced at her clock. Six twenty. Might as well get up. School started in about an hour and she was going to walk with her bestie.

She showered, changed, and ate breakfast. By seven ten, she was out the door.

She was met with a small group of people. About five, and they were all her closest friends. Granted, when she thought too much about it, they weren't close at all, except for Linda her best friend. They were always willing to accept her in everything they did.

They all felt an aura from her. Her aura was very positive, caring, loving, and most of all, a hint of the unexpected.

Had they known how _close_ they were to that, they would have been all hairs on end. But apart from that, her friends cared for her. They noticed her blank stare.

"Deanna? What's wrong?"

Deanna snapped out of it. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just tired is all." She smiled at her.

Deanna went directly to her first class, and sat in the back, where she would get the least attention. Nobody liked sitting in the back of _this_ class.

"Why are you in the back of _art_ class?" her friends asked.

"I don't like attention," she would say flat out. Of course, that didn't stop her friends from sitting in the front.

See, Gary sat on the front, and no straight girl would lose the chance of sitting next to him. Deanna didn't care anymore. He didn't have eyes remotely green, or hair remotely jet black, or his name remotely close to _Oliver_…

She began to doodle on some notebook paper when she saw someone put his backpack next to her.

She stopped herself from sighing. Looking up, she saw—she saw—

_Oliver_.

"May I sit here?" the young man asked.

Deanna stammered for a second. "S-Sure." She scooted her chair closer to the edge of the desk, and admittedly, farther away from him, because something about him told her that wasn't Oliver.

Her art teacher, Mrs. Bennoi, walked up to Deanna, and explained the situation.

"Adin here is new—a foreign exchange student from—" get this "—France. We were wondering if you could show him around the school. You two have the same classes throughout the whole day," the teacher smiled encouragingly. Was she trying to make them into something Deanna knew they would not be? Regardless, Deanna just nodded.

This Adin, whoever he was, was _not_ Oliver. Something about him is just too…normal.

Yea, his eyes were a beautiful but disturbing green that looked too deep and too long, and yea, he sat closer than personal space called for, and yea, he sounded exactly like Oliver. But he wasn't Oliver. At least, that's what her mind kept telling her.

"Well, Mrs. Bennoi introduced me to you, but I don't believe I know your name," he said, charmingly enough. Deanna wanted to punch him. He could sense her discomfort, she could tell, and here he was prolonging her suffering by talking to her.

"Deanna," she said politely, and then pulled out her binder and getting ready to pay attention to her art teacher for the first time since she entered high school.

From her peripheral view, she saw him look at her confused, and then smiled a small smile. _Was he making fun of her?_ She ignored what she saw, and waited for an hour to go by.

When the bell rang, she nearly ran out of her seat when Mrs. Bennoi called to her again.

"Deanna, don't forget Mr. Oliver."

_Great. So that's where he's been hiding_. Maybe –just maybe—this mysterious fellow _might_ be Oliver.

_Nah. Oliver hardly ever smiled_, she thought.

* * *

Nothing to say, except that it was my favorite book for THE LONGEST TIME, and then I read more Vivian Vande Velde :)

How do you like it so far?


	3. Adin Oliver Is Romeo

"Deanna, don't forget Mr. Oliver."

_Great. So that's where he's been hiding_. Maybe –just maybe—this mysterious fellow _might_ be Oliver.

_Nah. Oliver hardly ever smiled_, she thought.

* * *

"Follow me Ol—Adin. Next class is English," she said bitterly, but this time, more towards English than at the fellow.

She abhors English. For some unknown reason, the school districts decide to torture kids by making them read two Shakespeare plays a year, and the teacher assigned to her is rumored to start the year with Shakespeare. _Othello_, she thinks, and then straight to _Taming of the Shrew_. Do they _want_ her to fail first semester English?

"You don't like English?" Adin guessed. _So, he's perceptive. God, why does he look like Oliver?_ It pained her to see that someone she loved was not here, and yet this constant reminded was told to follow her every step. What could be worse than this?

"No, I don't," she said curtly.

"I don't get why. English is a very interesting class." _Ugh. I spoke too soon_.

"Not when we're reading Shakespeare for an entire semester," she told him, obviously thinking she won the fight.

He smiled, looked down, and said, "_What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet_. Romeo and Juliet," he told her.

She almost stopped walking, shocked at his choice of quotes.

She studied _Romeo and Juliet_ freshman year, and her teacher told her that that quote meant that names mean nothing, but rather the person. What is happening here? Why is he telling her the right things?

"Is something wrong?" Adin asked her, worriedly. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she automatically tensed her muscles. He continued to hold his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm alright. It's just…I forgot if we had any homework for the class. Not that you would have to turn anything in, but my not completing it would be completely unacceptable, and I would fail English on the very first day, and that in itself is un—…" she wandered off, realizing she was babbling.

Adin smiled. "I would get worried to. Let's get you to class. We don't want you accidentally hurting yourself."

_This is quite creepy_, she thought, remembering Leonard, when he tried to court her.

He held the door open for her, and her friends had not missed it. She had to go introduce him to the teacher, and he was greeted warmly.

"Welcome to Honors English Adin. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Sit, sit. Class will begin shortly."

"Is there a seating chart?" Deanna asked, somewhat hopefully, though she managed to keep it out of her voice. No need to have Romeo sit next to her, and confuse her even more, ya know?

"No, but Ms. Bennoi called and told me the administration chose a student at random to assist Mr. Oliver. You were the only one who had the same chosen classes as him," said Mr. Alice, "Naturally, you guys will want to sit together for when Mr. Oliver has any questions."

No, he did not hear the pleading in her voice. She had him last year for normal English, and he encouraged her to join honors junior year. She agreed because she felt he understood her, when she was being subtle, when she was being polite.

_Well, no matter_, she told herself.

"Come on Oli—" she caught herself too late, but whatever, "Sorry, come on Adin." Adin gave her a nod. They sat somewhat close to her friends, but not close enough that they could talk to her and obviously inquire about Adin, but not _too_ far that they would suspect something that simply is not there…or something that Deanna refused to let be there.

"Do you normally talk to people by their last names? I do not mind you know. I move around a lot because my father is in the military. I'm used to going by Oliver by now," he told her absentmindedly by the end. He wanted to comfort her, she knew. He knew she knew. She could not help smiling a small smile.

"Thanks. And no, I don't usually call people by last names," she told him solemnly, and then tried to pass it as a joke, "Of course, there is always a first, right?"

He looked at her, really looked at her. Trying to evaluate her, she was guessing. Of course, she could hold any human stare now. Only one could make her look…

Darn. She looked away. She tried to console herself by saying that it was only because he was a constant reminder of Oliver, and that they both looked away at the same time, looking at each other one second, blinking and looking away the next.

"Class is now in session," Mr. Alice told the class seconds later. Everyone turned his or her attention to him. He is a very nice and amazing teacher, but at first, he is ever so intimidating.

"I would like to start off class by introducing a new student to our school. Mr. Oliver, will you stand up?" Adin looked at her horrified for an instant, but composed himself, and stood up. He looked at the teacher, expectedly.

"Tell us your name and some interesting facts about yourself."

"Well, I am Adin Oliver. I am a military brat. I just came from France. Uhmm… I've been to most of Europe?" he shrugged, and shook his head, thinking of stuff to say. When he didn't, he just sat back down.

"Very brave Mr. Oliver. Now, we will start from you…Ms. Shwein. Introduce yourself."

Deanna's best friend blushed a little. She did not like her last name, but got up nonetheless. "I am Linda Shwein, and I am not even remotely close to interesting as Adin Oliver," she said, as she sat down. Of course, just because she blushed, it did not mean she was outspoken.

Mr. Alice half smirked, and raised his eyebrows. "I sense wit, Ms. Shwein. Next."

Slowly, her friends introduced themselves. Deanna noticed with lack of pleasure that she was going next, after Sue. _Great. What do I _say_?_

"Next."

Deanna slowly got up. She did not feel herself getting warm, but she knew that she would eventually.

"I am Deanna Beaux…uhmm," she was waiting to turn beet red, so she can just say _you don't pronounce the x_ and sit, but she didn't. Maybe she was blushing, and she couldn't feel it? No matter. She would say something about…she couldn't come up with anything, so she said the same thing she said every year when people were forced to present themselves: "The 'x' is not pronounced in my last name," and sat down.

She could hear people laughing their polite laugh.

"From my whole high school career, she always says the same thing," she heard Gary say. The hottest guy of her class was actually talking about her. God, how she wished he would not comment on her speeches.

"Class, please take out your summer assignments. This is very crucial for the survival of my class."

Deanna freaked. She had lied to Adin about any summer assignment, but here she was, close to hyperventilating.

She felt someone tap her shoulder, and she looked at the general direction.

"The summer assignment was to just get the book, remember?" Gary told her, looking at her worriedly. "Don't worry, we didn't have to read it," he told her, wondering why she was just staring at him. He raised his eyebrows, and Deanna muttered thanks, and turned back around, getting an old battered copy of _Taming of the Shrew_.

_Of course, her copy would be battered_, Gary thought. _She probably vents her anger on poor Shakespeare_.

Deanna saw Adin from a sidelong glance, and noticed he was thinking too hard about something.

_What could he possibly be thinking?_ She wondered. She knew she was drawn to him at the beginning. But why is he still drawing her in, when she can only suffer so much?

_Oliver…is that really you_? she allowed herself to ask herself, knowing that she would plant a seed of hope that needed no water or tending to grow the minute she asked herself.

* * *

I noticed Vivian Vande Velde never gave Deanna a last name! :O

So I went to Google, and looked up a last name that would mean beautiful. Beaux is so old-fashioned...or at least, it sounds old fashioned to me.

But I like it.

Yea, I decided to give this Adin fellow some competition.

You know, for parallels? I hope you enjoy.


	4. Truth is Truth is Truth

_What could he possibly be thinking? She wondered. She knew she was drawn to him at the beginning. But why is he still drawing her in, when she can only suffer so much?_

_Oliver…is that really you? she allowed herself to ask herself, knowing that she would plant a seed of hope that needed no water or tending to grow the minute she asked herself._

And with that, she let herself believe minutely, that this Adin is Oliver –_her_ Oliver, whom she had loved deeply, because the universe would not be so mean to her as to have someone have all the physical appearance of Oliver, and yet not be him.

_Well, there is always the possibility that he has a twin_, she thought, thinking it made more sense since he had such a different personality than the Oliver she knew. Her heart, however, would not hear such logic. Here was Oliver, whether he displayed the same personality or not.

[1]Class ended, and they went to one more class together: History. It was not too bad. The teacher had them sit together (again), and her friends were sitting right in front of her, and needed only turn around to talk to her –as well as Adin.

Laura made the first attempt to talk to Adin from everyone in that whole day.

"So, Adin, what do you like about Greeley, Colorado?"

He did something eerily similar to Oliver: he looked at her, as if waiting for her permission to speak. No one noticed this, and how they did not notice, Deanna did not know. She looked at him, interested as well, though giving him the slightest of nods for him to go.

"I like the town's hospitality," he said, and she could see him mulling it over. "I like, especially, how polite Deanna has been to me, despite being stuck with me," he said slowly, as if wondering if what he was saying was too brash.

Deanna involuntarily smiled, and felt horribly for trying to ignore him, and promised to herself that she would try to get to know him as Adin, and not constantly comparing him as Oliver.

Deanna did, however, feel herself go warm at her cheeks, and felt relieved when she was saved, for the second time, by a teacher calling class to order.

Her friends still managed to give her The Look. They heard the sincerity of Adin's statement, and no doubt saw her smile too.

They turned around, and she tried to sneak a peek at Adin –the first time she told herself to do so. And when she did, she saw he tried to sneak a peek at her too.

Her first instinct was to advert her eyes to the front of the classroom, but something held her gaze in his eyes. Whether it be that they were looking at her too long or too deep, she didn't know, but she knew she could not let it get this far. _But why not_? a voice told her. _Magic exists. You didn't believe in that once, remember? What if this is the way magic is thanking you for restoring order, and more besides?_

The internal struggle continued even after she made herself look at the front of the classroom, though no one, except for two guys could guess there was something going on behind those eyes that never seemed to be focused on her surroundings, but more in her thoughts

[2]She was staring at Adin Oliver just as tenaciously as Adin Oliver was looking at her. She hardly paid attention to anyone, and that she did so for so long and that deeply made Gary Kirchhoff somewhat jealous.

Yes, he liked her since last year, but she hardly noticed; yes, he was the most popular person in the junior class, and Deanna did not bother to feign friendliness with anyone to get to the top, but he admired her for that; yes, she wasn't the most beautiful girls out there, but what beauty she had, it glowed. Maybe it was that puppy love sickness his mother always mentioned.

Who knows.

All he knew was that like that chick flick said: Adin Oliver Must Die.

_Well, maybe not die…but something like that_, Gary thought with a smile.

[3]She looked at him as she did back then, when forced to the adventure that would change his life.

_Who knew she would have seemed to have some recognition when she saw me at the airport_, Adin thought.

He clearly remembered that day, because he had taken the bottle that changed his life forever. It was old, but contained a piece of paper.

Being his curious self, he took the paper out, and read it. Two men popped out of nowhere, and a dog, alarmed, attacked them.

It later turned out it was the elves Deanna would meet seventy years later. They punished Adin for the dog's behavior, and sentenced him to a lifetime of inimicality with that stupid black dog.

Deanna had saved him, though his personality during those long years changed drastically. Even today, his personality matched the times, because he was such an adaptable person, though the adaptability was forced upon him. What would she think of him if he told her that what they were over viewing right this minute (WWI), he was so close to take a part of because the German Gestapo saw him fit to fight? What would she think if he told her that right now, he should be about ninety-seven years old?

He hated those elves for ruining his life, and yet, right now, he felt that the only reason they did not destroy it completely was to have him confused about the world (as well as because the spell he read protected him)…

The long class finally ended, and he got up, slowly, as if he was resting from yet another chase with Bucky, the dumb dog. Lunch was next, and he waited for Deanna to get her stuff packed, as she took notes, unlike him.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Yup," she said, and waved good bye to her friends.

"You're not going to wait for them?" Adin asked her, somewhat confused.

"Nope. They ask too many question."

Is it possible she wants to ask the questions herself?

[4]They would want details, she knew. Adin asked if she would wait for them, and she said no.

They would obviously make a remark to them about how they already seem to make a cute couple, and she could not live the humiliation should she blush.

He nodded upwards, and they headed to get lunch. Deanna got herself a sandwich and chocolate milk, while Adin got himself a mystery meat (which when he sniffed, smelled of beef) and a soda.

They sat near her friends, as the table was full, but enough away that it would be ostentatious if one of them were to just go to them.

"So, Adin," Deanna managed to say. "Tell me about yourself."

She was going to get to know Adin for Adin, not of whom he reminds her.

"Well, I read a spell, and a dumb dog's behavior caused these elves to turn me into a cat…" he began, into what would be an honest and meaningful conversation for both of them.

* * *

[1] So that it would not seem too abrupt, I made an extra space, so you can see that time has passed.

[2] Gary's POV

[3] Adin Oliver's POV

[4] Deanna's POV

* * *

I did not expect it to end this way...but I think it's good.

If it's still choppy, Anidori-Kilandra...I'm sorry. I tried not to make it so.

Thank you for your constructive criticism.


	5. Back to Magic

**It's been WAY too long. Sorry for the wait, for those of you who still read my stuff. I love you for it. Review Review Review!**

* * *

"_So, Adin," Deanna managed to say. "Tell me about yourself."_

_She was going to get to know Adin for Adin, not of whom he reminds her._

"_Well, I read a spell, and a dumb dog's behavior caused these elves to turn me into a cat…" he began, into what would be an honest and meaningful conversation for both of them…_

"Hello?" Adin asked Deanna ask him. "Anyone home?" she waved her hand over his eyes. She had asked him to tell her about himself, and he spaced out.

He visibly jerked back to Greenly, Colorado. "Huh?" He internally winced. He had imagined telling her his life's story.

"I asked you to tell me about yourself. What do you like? What part of Paris were you living at while your dad was in service there? Did you have a cat? One with green eyes and black fur?" she asked him. She didn't mean to be explicit; she just wanted to find clues that he might have been Oliver.

He stared at her for a while he formed coherent sentences to her seemingly demanding questions. "My dad was stationed in the center of France, in Burgundy." Yea, his father was stationed there…during World War One.

_Burgundy! That's where our plane dropped us off. So near Chalon…_ Deanna thought.

"Did you visit any of the neighboring places?" she asked, a subtle desperation in her tone. The thought _I don't believe in coincidence, do you Lady Deanna?_ popped in her head. She was getting close, and she knew it.

"Oh yea," he said, taking a sip from his chocolate milk. "I really liked the Chalon château, as well as the farm land. A lot of sightseeing, and rod—" he stopped himself at the word _rodent_. He learned what should be said and not be said during his time in Castel Belesse.

Deanna made up her mind. This young man is Oliver. Of course, the part of her mind that still refused to believe it would not quiet down.

"You remind me of someone," she blurted out.

"Really? Who?" Oliv—Adin asked, getting closer to Deanna. For a moment, it was as if they were back at Castle Belesse. Deanna almost expected to hear Sir Henri or Baylen to interrupt their gazing.

"Well, it might sound crazy, but of my cat."

Adin smiled. "The one with the black fur, green eyes, and whose name was Oliver?"

Deanna was not surprised. It only furthered her claim. "Yes," she said curtly.

"I hope the cat was good looking," he said playfully.

"He definitely was—is—very good looking. Even more so when he was human."

Silence.

So, Adin thought, she suspected they knew each other too.

"What if I told you," he asked her, knowing this would be his only opening, "that I brought a souvenir from Chalon?"

Deanna was a little confused by what he said.

"Uhmm…I don't know?" she said suspiciously.

"I'll show you afterschool," he said calmly.

"Okay," Deanna said, still a little confused about this whole ordeal.

After school, it turned out that Adin lived in the same direction as Deanna. _Of course, magic_, Deanna thought.

"Bye Deanna," Lynn said, then looking at Adin meaningfully before winking at Deanna, "Walk safely you two," before walking off.

"Come," he said, and took her to the nearby clearing, where most kids usually went to get high.

"I don't do dr—" Deanna was about to say, but saw what Adin was pulling out. It was an old concrete piece, maybe a rock. Realization hit her, and Adin/Oliver saw it.

"Willing to visit some…old friends?" he asked her.

Sir Henri. Algernon. Baylen. Leonard. Lady Marguerite. Oho, they would all be there, she was sure.

"Definitely. But not today," she said conspiratorially. "Halloween break? It's in less than a month anyways."

She realized she unintentionally made a pun. Black cat, magic, all on Hallow's Eve.

"Whatever you say," Adin/Oliver says, hiding the piece of the well again.

It would be like old times—or at least, like it was less than a month ago. And this time, Deanna wanted to tie loose ends with some of those people—if they even forgive her.

* * *

Yes, I plan to have them go back. And yes, I know it's very elementary-school-ish to have them have a Halloween Break, but meh. Perfect occasion for magic, don't you think?

Review! Tell me what you think! I worked hard on this chapter!...even though I know it's not (and never will be) stellar.

It's _so_ good to be back.


	6. Get Used to Chivalry

_It would be like old times—or at least, like it was less than a month ago. And this time, Deanna wanted to tie loose ends with some of those people—if they even forgive her._

"Alright then," she said, once everything was back to normal, "We should head back."

Oliver nodded. Now that they knew that each person was the one they thought it was, things were much simpler.

Deanna felt silly for even doubting this new Oliver, and wondered when her wish came true, though, not that they were in Greenly, Colorado, she couldn't very well say anything that would involve magic. People might get too suspicious.

As they headed back to the street, they stood there, not quite sure what to do now that their immediate goal was accomplished.

Deanna stood still a little longer, but then finally threw her arms around Oliver, and Oliver knew her better now, sure of how he felt, and how she felt, and he hugged her back.

"Oh, Oliver," she said, her voice sad. "I thought my wish didn't work." Despite telling herself she would not talk of such things, she did anyways.

"Magic works most when we hope, not when we are so sure," he explained. He too had been sure he would be back to a human, but when he didn't, he began to lose hope. He stuck around the farmhouse, and one day, he heard someone say Deanna's name.

He left the farmhouse, not wanting to think about anything else, but he hoped, for the first time.

He had woken up a human again, with the outfit he had that day, and in the airport.

Deanna looked up, and she saw what he said as true. She had hoped in the airplane that her wish had worked. She nodded, to show she understood, but then looked confused. Why was magic so confusing?

"Why hope?" she asked, hating the rules of magic. They always caught her off guard, and made things complicated. However, she realized how long she and Oliver were hugging, and began to feel self conscious, even if she felt it was right.

She backed off a little, and Oliver dropped his arms back to his side. He seemed to be spacing out. Eventually he said, "Who knows? The Fair Folk always had a way with things."

"Hmm," she said, feeling resentment towards the Fair Folk all over again.

She sighed. "Well, I have to go home; my mother is waiting for me," she said, not wanting to leave him again, afraid this might be a dream.

And why wouldn't it be? Bad days were both dreams and reality for her, but something or someone to save the day was in both parts of her life. It was a fifty-fifty chance, and she knew life generally liked to work against her.

_And once again, I am looking for someone to blame_, she said, learning not to do that. She didn't want to see the things she expected to see; she wanted to see _everything_, and her new change of mentality exemplified that.

"Alright then. Good night, Lady Deanna," Oliver said, slightly bowing.

Deanna blushed. She remembered hating all those chivalric gestures, and now that she was back in modern day America—let alone in a whole different _continent_—she felt even weirder.

Oh well, she would have to get used to it. She was, after all, going back to Castle Belesse soon anyways.

She smiled, and curtsied.

* * *

So, no feedback last time, but I don't mind. I am actually quiet excited for what I have planned to write. Castle Belesse can be seen right before the horizon.

Though, I would like it if you tell me (even if it's just a PM so that you don't overrate my story) to tell me what you think. Feedback would be greatly appreciated :)

BIG thanks to the following for taking their time of day to even look at my story:

US: You guys are SO kind to me!

New Zealand: You are so kind to take the time to check out my story.

Appreciation to you both :)


	7. FairFolk Oh FairFolk, Where Art Thou?

And I updated! Will do so every two weeks! Review, and tell me what you think!

* * *

"_Alright then. Good night, Lady Deanna," Oliver said, slightly bowing._

_Deanna blushed. She remembered hating all those chivalric gestures, and now that she was back in modern day America—let alone in a whole different continent—she felt even weirder._

_Oh well, she would have to get used to it. She was, after all, going back to Castle Belesse soon anyways._

_She smiled, and curtsied._

Oliver turned to walk away, towards home she assumed, and she followed suit. Five steps towards her house, she turned around, seeing Oliver had covered quiet a distance.

"Oliver?" she asked. He turned and waited for her to ask whatever it was he was going to ask. "Are you living with a family?"

He nodded upwards, and cocked his head to the side. "I suppose you can say that," he said slowly, as though not sure as to what she wanted.

"Oh," she said, "It's just that it would be horrible if you were alone."

He smiled. "I'm not alone. I am here because of magic," he said calmly, as though family didn't matter.

_Hmm, well, he was a cat before this_, Deanna thought to herself to explain his detachment.

"Yea," she said slowly, not sure what to say, or if to just head back towards her house.

"We can go to where I'm living when we go back," he suggested with a shrug.

"Alright then," she said. "Good bye Oliver."

"Good bye Deanna. See you later."

_You sure will_, Deanna thought. She was not going to let this cat away anymore. She fell in love with him, and even though he wasn't cutely wayward of society's standards, he still came back for her, just like the time he jumped into the well when it was against his nature, let alone, because the well and water were _filled_ with magic; she couldn't _not_ love him.

Halloween was still about a month and a half away, but she could wait. She suffered all summer at Chalon with no one as her friend, except Oliver of course.

Time would most certainly go quicker. She had other friends, homework, school, chores to keep her mind distracted.

* * *

Four weeks had passed and she couldn't keep herself distracted. Even though Oliver sat next to her for all her classes, she couldn't stop thinking about their plan, even if it was obvious in her face that she wasn't listening. Her English teacher told her that if she didn't start paying attention in class, she would fail the quarter.

She refrained from saying "Well, duh. This quarter is _all_ about Shakespeare. I was doomed to fail the minute you told us to get _Othello_." Of course, she liked her English teacher, who believed that she was a good student, and despite her aversion to Shakespeare he thought she was worthy of being in the honors class. But how much can she take? They were still in _Othello_; _everyone_ was having a hard time with it. Yea…there is jealousy. So, what? It brings destruction? What does it all mean?!

So, once again, she is in English class, with the book _Othello_ opened on Act Two, discussing how Iago wanted to get even with Cassio for sleeping with his wife, but use Othello and Desdemona as a medium…or…Deanna thinks that's what's going on.

She was too spaced out to even realize the teacher was calling her, until Oliver elbowed her. "What?" she asked, suddenly alert and turning a shade of red.

"What motifs can you find in this scene?" the teacher repeated for who knows how many times.

"Uhh…manipulation?" she says slowly, wondering where they were.

"Good job Deanna," he said, starting to talk about how this soliloquy is very important, and how Iago uses lowly adjectives for describing his enemies or something or other.

She sighs, trying to keep her head out of the clouds. This was the one class where she inevitably started to go to Lala Land and wondering what everyone in Castle Belesse was doing.

* * *

After the hour was over and lunch began, she gathered her stuff and waited for Oliver and Lynn and the rest of her friends. After the first day, Deanna's friends saw Oliver as just another guy who came into the school, and soon, stopped teasing her about him. Of course, the pale, green-eyed, black-haired youth turned a few heads, just like in Castle Belesse, but because he wasn't the only person Deanna was forced to turn to, she didn't let it bother her. Her friends were there to take her attention away from the staring.

"Deanna, what are you doing for the Halloween vacation?" Lynn asked her.

"Uhmm," she responded, knowing she sounded suspicious. But she still couldn't say "Well, Lynn, I plan to ditch our plans to go to a castle in the tenth century and ask a couple of men in that place to forgive me. Oh, by the way, I will go back to the past by means of magic, since magic gave me Oliver, who is sitting next to me, looking at the mystery meat as if it were lamb. What about you?" No, she couldn't say that. Who would believe her? She didn't believe in magic a couple months ago; that seemed so long ago now…

She was about to shake herself back to reality, but she chose to blink a couple times instead. "Uhmm," she continued, and blurted the first thing that came to her mind, "I'm going to Belesse."

She kept from cringing. Oliver elbowed her, and she elbowed him back. She was good at elbowing someone without others noticing apparently, because no one said anything.

"Belesse? Where is that?" Lynn asked.

"It's some kind of amusement park or other," Deanna said, speaking her lie as she was making it up; she knew she would pay for it later. She wasn't the best of liars.

"Oh," her best friend replied heavily with interest. "Take pictures, I would like to see what rides you would actually get on," Lynn joked.

"Well, I'm not sure it's an amusement park," she said loudly and trying to throw the conversation into another direction, "My mother chose the place. She's going to drop me off with a couple cousins who will visit me, and we will explore," she said, with a miniscule amount of truth in it. Cousins indeed…

"Pictures," Lynn said, with a smile in her face. She loved to tease Deanna, and it always gave lunch a nice atmosphere; she was comfortable with her closest friends, and Lynn was her best friend, it would only be natural she would be someone Deanna could be almost entirely comfortable with—except on the topic of magic. But maybe she could tell Lynn about her crazy adventure one day—maybe.

"Sure, sure," Deanna said, pretending to be busy with her mystery meat.

"Oh come on Deanna! Vacation is _this_ Friday! Aren't you excited?" Lynn asked her. She had shot up and leaned to Deanna's side of the table, and then sitting down and looking like she could barely contain her excitement.

"Yes," Deanna said as calmly as possible. In truth, she couldn't wait, and every day that brought her closer made her nervous. "Two more days," she said quietly. The look on her face was enough to get Lynn to stop asking questions. Lynn could see Deanna was thinking about something, and that something would not leave her alone; she just couldn't guess what that "something" was.

Despite Deanna's silence, the bell rang, and she walked with Oliver to their class, the only one where none of her friends were in.

"Excited?" she asked Oliver. He looked at her momentarily, and he was silent, not saying anything. They were still walking, and once they sat down in the very back did he answer. "I suppose," he said.

"'I _suppose_?'" she threw back at him, almost raising her voice.

"Well, I suppose going on an expedition with Sir Henri might be fun, but I didn't connect with anyone," he said matter-of-factly. He didn't say it with emotion, and it reminded her too well about the old Oliver, the one in old France; she didn't mind, in fact, she liked it. It was definitely the Oliver she fell in love with.

"Lady Marguerite?"

"You told her the truth."

"I'm sure she'll forget once she sees you."

"And if she doesn't?"

"She'll forget eventually," Deanna pressed, not really knowing why, but probably because she felt horrible for severing the only ties Oliver formed, whether intentional or not.

"At the moment, that doesn't matter," he said. Before she can refute that, he added, "We might not even get back into that timeframe."

"What?" she asked now. "As in, we might be in a different time period? But, we can wish it to—"

"You would be too sure of it," he interrupted. She was reminded of her last wish, and how she was sure he would go back to being human, and she would be happy ever after. Of course, he was good at explaining magic, because—

Because _why_?

"How do you know all about the rules of magic?" she asked him, something she intended to ask him since he explained to her the hope rule.

"It's been explained to me," he said, not bothering to reveal anything else.

She sighed. She was about to ask more, but the teacher called them to attention, but she would not let the question die. She patiently waited for class to be over, and with one more class left, she was about to ask while they walked, but they were interrupted by Lynn.

"Deanna, if I give you this camera," she said as she handed the camera, "Can you take pictures?"

"How did you get the camera?" she asked Lynn. She didn't have one on her at the beginning. "Don't tell me you skipped class!"

"Don't be silly Dee," Lynn said quickly, "I had my older brother get it for me."

"Oh, well then, in that case, okay," she said. She took the camera, put it in an empty pocket, and chatted with Lynn. Oliver was getting reserved all over again, and she didn't know why. Was his outgoing personality just a ruse? She should ask him as they walked to class, or sat next to each other again. The warning bell rang, and she and her friends ran to their last class of the day. They sat in their seats, and even though her other friends sat near her, she risked asking him a question: "Why are you quiet now?"

Oliver looked surprised. "Deanna," he said, using the same tone as when he told her he loved her, "This is my personality."

"Then why were you so outgoing those first few days?"

"Wasn't really outgoing, just the whole introduction phase a stranger has to go through."

Once again she sighed and turned her attention to the teacher. Half an hour went by when she remembered she never asked him the one question she had wanted to ask him since last class: _how did he know so much about magic?_

The bell rang, Deanna had once again spent most of her time day dreaming, and for most of the walk home, she was quiet. Of course, her behavior didn't deviate from her normal one.

"Bye Deanna," Lynn waved as she headed to her house.

"Oliver?" she asked him, not sure how to word it.

"Yes?"

"Where do you live?" she asked instead. Oliver looked a bit surprised, but motioned for her to follow him. She did, and when he stopped in front of a house, he turned to see her reaction. "Would you like to come in?" he asked her.

She nodded. She wanted to know if he had a family, or if he was living alone, or _something_.

He opened the door and held it for her. "Oliver?" she heard a familiar voice call out.

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no, this could not be happening_, she thought.

"I'm home," he said. He walked to the living room, and Deanna followed.

There, on the sofa, sat one of the elves. "Hello," he said, when seeing Deanna, and then, he raised his voice. "Guess who came?"

The other elf voiced from another room, "Who?"

"That girl that almost destroyed the tenth century!"

"What part again? There are so many!"

"The one who almost made the bubonic plague last for ten more years," he yelled back with significance. Obviously, she was unique to others who almost destroyed civilization, as they knew it.

"Oh," he said, coming in with a Coca Cola shirt and faded jeans. "How are you?" he asked her as he extended his hand to her.

She stayed quiet, not believing what she was seeing. She blinked a couple times, thinking she might get rid of the hallucination, but they were real.

"You asked me how I knew so much about magic," Oliver told her, "It's because I live with the Fair Folk."

* * *

Thanks to Sam for giving me the idea about where Oliver lives, and with who!

Another thanks to mooshine86 for liking and reading my story!

And yet another to Matthew for reading my story as well!

Review! Review! Review!

(By the way, I have a poll, and I want to know which story of mine you like best! So go vote!)

Till next time folks :)


	8. How Charming

_She stayed quiet, not believing what she was seeing. She blinked a couple times, thinking she might get rid of the hallucination, but they were real._

"_You asked me how I knew so much about magic," Oliver told her, "It's because I live with the Fair Folk."_

"Oh, well, that, uh, would only make sense," Deanna said, trying to sort everything that she just saw out.

One of the Fair Folk, the blatantly mean one, was sitting down, watching the television. Most precisely, a football game. The game seemed familiar, and she realized he was watching a recorded game. Of course, the game was from so long ago! It was before her parents even got divorced, and they went to go watch it as a family.

"I'll bet you," the one with the _Rock 'n' Roll_ shirt said, "That the ones in red will win."

"No," said the mean one, "I think they will tie."

"Want to bet on it?"

"How much?"

"Thirty rubles! Gold standard too!"

"You're on!" the rude one exclaimed.

She saw the one with the _Rock 'n' Roll_ shirt look at her, and wink. She couldn't help but realize that he cheated. Shocked, her mouth hanged open, and her eyes were as big as saucers.

"So, how is the girl the scenery?" the rude one asked while the game was on half time.

"She still hasn't realized where she is, the idiot," he said, an exasperated sigh gracing out of his lips.

The rude one laughed immaturely. "Call her an idiot. They _hate_ it when we do that."

The one with the shirt laughed. "Yea, they most certainly do."

"Have you seen her yet?" the rude one asked.

"No, but we should go back, you're about to close the time gap anyways, and you're trying to talk to her in French," he said.

Deanna looked at them with interest. It certainly sounded familiar.

"Alright, Oliver, since you brought a friend, and heard us talk about magic, I am afraid she will have to follow us to chastice the idiot girl," the rude one said.

Did they forget every single person they met? She was getting the feeling that she knew what was going to happen next.

"Actually," she said, trying to weasel her way out of this, "I have to go home, and catch up on my book for English, and it's Shakespeare, so I have to go home and get started _now_, and—" however, she was interrupted by the one in the _Rock 'n' Roll_ shirt.

"You have to see who we work," he said excitedly, "Young Oliver didn't bring you along for nothing, I am _sure_," and with that, she was dragged to the glade she first fell in a couple weeks ago.

.x.x.x.

Just as Deanna expected, she saw herself staring up at the Fair Folk, who were trying to talk to her in French. Prior to talking to her, they took one look at Deanna from the past to Deanna in the present, and dramatically smacked their foreheads, as if saying _so _that's_ why I was talking about her like I knew her from some place! I _did_!_

With that, the one in the shirt came up to her and said, "That's you, huh?"

She closed her eyes as she smiled tightly, and said, "Yea."

"Terribly sorry for the name-calling just now," he said.

"Oh, it gets worse," she said, figuring they remembered her slightly, but not really enough to do anything about it in her present presence.

"Right," he said, then, "Well, I'm off to help Melvin," he said, and walked forward. She realized that is about the time he "suddenly" appeared.

Just as things couldn't get worse, she saw someone by her side again, and she saw it was the Fair Folk with all those crazy shirts, except it was navy blue, and had a no smoking sign.

"Hello Deanna, how have you been?" he asked her as if he knew her for a while now.

"Uhh…" she managed to say before he interrupted with, "Sorry, but the time gap is about to close," and then, she saw her face go from confused to disbelieving.

_Probably_, she thought,_ from his shirt change_.

This happened a couple more times, and she heard the speech once more, ready to imitate them, and add some humiliating hand movements in, but then she felt someone touch her shoulder.

She looked and saw Oliver.

"They live on time gaps, where they have a certain time to come in this loop hole, and save the world. Here, a couple minutes passed, and in the real world as well, but they come in from different days, hence, why Galvin came with all those different shirts the day they commenced you on magic."

"Melvin and Galvin?" Deanna asked, not really paying attention to what Oliver just said; she would just get a headache anyways.

"Yes, what's wrong with that?" Melvin said behind her, wearing a Hawaii shirt.

He didn't seem to know who she was.

She sighed, and said, "Nothing wrong with those names."

He gave her a dubious look, but finally went and cleared the time gap. By then, they were finished, and Melvin and Galvin came back, Melvin not changing once, and Galvin now back to his _Coca Cola_ shirt, which he was wearing when he first introduced himself.

"Ready to go kids?" he asked.

To keep from laughing and losing her mind, Deanna just nodded, not daring to open her mouth to speak.

"Let's go then!" Melvin said, "My girlfriend prepared some good goose today!"

Deanna was not liking the sound of that. She wanted to high-tail it out of there.

As they were brought back to the living room, the last inning was about done, with the red team, indeed, winning.

"Darn!" Melvin said, as he handed Galvin thirty things, which Deanna guessed, were rubbles.

"Mel?" she heard someone ask.

"Honey! I'm home!" he responded.

Deanna closed her eyes once more. Things could not get _worse_!

She opened her eyes, and saw none other than the goose girl.

Apparently, she stood corrected.

* * *

Yes, more funny-ness...I couldn't really help myself. I'm having too much fun with these Fail Folks.

(Re-read the part where Deanna first meets them, just to have this chapter as accurate as possible).

Hope you like :D

Special thanks to:

moonshine86: Hope you like :)

Matthew: Thanks for reading too!  
(By the way people, he wrote his own AWTE fanfic. Ask him for a link of Deanna! You will be shocked by the awesomeness:D)

Sporadic no-reviews over :D And I thank you guys! Makes me happy, very very happy. Very gushy right now, and I feel weird haha.

I do have to say one thing: I have made a promise to update every two weeks, but I have to say that I need to plan out a little more what I'm going to do with this story, so it'll be on a temporary hiatus for two updates. Show me story some love, yes?

Review! :)


	9. Nine Lives

"_Honey! I'm home!" Melvin responded._

_Deanna closed her eyes once more. Things could not get worse!_

_She opened her eyes, and saw none other than the goose girl._

_Apparently, she stood corrected._

When the goose girl saw her, she put her hands to her hips, and said, "Why, Lady Deanna, it's been a while since I saw you last. You have not changed much! I must ask: how do you do it?"

Deanna took a good look at the goose girl. She definitely appeared about five years older than the last time she saw her. She could only guess that she found a way to meet up with Melvin, one way or another.

"I," Deanna said, careful not to say something that would entail freaking her out, "I, ahm, well, I saw you just a few months ago actually."

"Really?" the goose girl asked, interested, "I would have thought you would be around twenty by now. Oh well," she said, shrugged, and went back to the kitchen.

Deanna looked at Melvin and Galvin for support. Melvin didn't even look at Deanna as he went to the kitchen, following the goose girl as soon as she turned her back. Galvin looked back at Deanna, shrugged, and said, "He got her right after you left Castle Belesse, but I'm guessing he went in a different time loop."

"Huh," Deanna said slowly, not bother to pretend to know what was going on.

"It's for the best, I think," Galvin added.

"Why?" Deanna asked.

"Kait was sixteen at the time. Now she looks a little older, you know what I mean?" he said suggestively.

Deanna could only look at him. Galvin sighed and said, "She doesn't look like a child, therefore he won't be judged if they go out."

"What are you talking about? You two look like you could be in your early twenties."

"We are. He is 25, and I am 21. I met the drinking age when we moved to the twenty-first century!"

"I see," Deanna said. She turned to Oliver, who was looking at her slightly amused. She kept looking at him expectantly, and he shrugged.

"I think I should really go home now," Deanna said. Were it not for Oliver, she would have run away a long time ago, and probably would have never looked back.

"There is one thing I want to show you before you leave," Oliver said softly. Deanna could not guess what it could possibly be, so she nodded and followed as soon as he turned around.

She was led to his room, where he opened the door, waited for her to enter, and closed it.

"So, what is it you want to show me?" Deanna asked him.

"Do you remember Lady Marguerite?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well, she sent you a letter."

"No way," Deanna said, excited, but at the same time confused as to why Lady Marguerite would send _Deanna_ a letter, of all people.

Oliver handed it to her, and she ripped the envelope open, only then realizing that she could have been a bit nicer, since the envelope aged approximately to how long ago it was written._ I could have sold it off on Ebay_ she thought. She could do with a nice savings account for college.

She unfolded the letter and started to read:

_Lady Deanna,_

_I am writing you this letter for two reasons: one, for lying to me about young Oliver, and two, for hurting my nephew Leonard. I hope you are ashamed, because you destroyed two potentially successful love affairs. Our power would have extended from Belesse to further out. My brother Henri refuses to speak to the king to get your family out of his favor, but if you do not talk to Leonard soon, I am afraid I will have to be the one to talk to him._

_Please do not take this as a threat to you. I will be courteous, but only if you fix what you destroyed. Leonard has admitted to me while he was drunk that he would take you back in heartbeat, and he will forget anything that happened between you and Baylen. While you are at it, I know he is both your squire and page, and something else, though admittedly, I never caught it, but it would be nice to see him again. I am sure that these two years must have made him stronger, louder, and even smarter. We already have a good line of landlords, but I would like a new line of warriors and intellectuals, and I feel I am the right one to start the line._

_I hope all is well, and take care. Send my regards to young Oliver, and that I hope we meet again._

_Attentively,_

_Lady Marguerite_

Deanna could not believe what she just read. Was Lady Marguerite really calling her a liar, and asking her to "come back" to Leonard? She never recalled actually "dating him," unless his chasing counted as going out. Deanna's eyebrows were up as high as physically possible. She forgot Oliver was there until he moved, and caused something nearby to rustle.

"She said I _lied_ about you?" Deanna asked incredulously.

Oliver didn't look surprised, so she knew Lady Marguerite had sent him a letter too. "She sent me a letter saying I can work for her, and she would give me a higher position than what you have given me." Deanna had to keep from letting her jaw drop. Oliver usually didn't tell her things like that unless she asked, and she usually always felt like her questions were unnecessary prodings anyways.

"Oh, really?" Deanna asked as friendly as possible.

He nodded, and pulled it out of a drawer. "Read it if you like."

Deanna handed Oliver her letter, while saying, "Thanks," opened the letter, and read:

_Dearest Oliver,_

_Lady Deanna had the indecency to tell me that you were not a person, but rather a cat. Upon asking my brother, Algernon, whether that can be true, he looked flustered, and told me that it was not possible. He even looked quiet nervous. I am thinking he is having one of his secret experiments again._

_Oliver, I have a couple things to ask of you, and they start like this: would you like to work for Castle Belesse, rather than with Lady Deanna of Canton in Colorado? She is, doesn't know what she wants, and definitely does not deserve someone so loyal and dedicated as you. We will take good care of you, and your opportunities are definitely flexible._

_The other thing I ask you is that you return to Castle Belesse, and bring Lady Deanna with you? My nephew, Leonard, was told the truth about his clothes by my brother Henri, and he would like to make amends to her, and re-ignite their relationship. He is more than ready to take her in, in which case, you would come work for us in the end!_

_Please think about it, Oliver. My offer for both you and Lady Deanna would be a win-win situation, in which case, everyone is happy._

_Take care as well. We wouldn't want anything to happen to your wonderful person._

_Forever yours,_

_Marguerite_

Deanna could not believe what she had just read. Did Lady Marguerite not just ask her in friendly jargon to come over in the letter she was sent? Did she just read a letter Lady Marguerite sent Oliver telling him to go to her, escaping from her grasp, or something of the sort? Deanna could not believe it. She could not.

She looked at Oliver, who looked surprised. "She certainly sounds gay and friendly with both our letters, yet telling us two different things," Oliver said.

Deanna could not catch any hint of jealousy, happiness, or anger in his expression or words. She almost thought she should be used to it, but remembered that lately he had been a little more open, but now, he was being closed off. Was it that it brought memories? She didn't know, but she didn't really want to figure out.

"Doesn't she?" Deanna asked, then handed him back the letter, checked her watch, and almost jumped out of her skin.

"Holy moly, it's almost four," she said almost breathlessly. She started getting her backpack, and turned to look at Oliver one more time before leaving his home.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Definitely, like we planned." He nodded, and stood fixated on the same spot.

Deanna turned and ran. Her friends would cover for her, that she already knew. She also knew she had to talk to Lady Marguerite.

Girls could be possessive too, right?

* * *

Thank you for reading and supporting How Strange for a year! I can't believe it's been a year (and only nine chapters)! Thank you, everyone. Now I know why FFers in college don't write as much as I would have wanted them to back in the day when I was a measly high schooler. College is TIME CONSUMING (albeit fun). But, here you go. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Thanks to:

Pash - You know, you have been writting AWTE fanfic longer than me, and you still only have three chapters (I know, I'm being hypocritical). Thank you for reading my story, it means a lot to me. Can't wait for you to update yours.

TheAnonymousReviewAngel - TARA, sorry, I'm not smart enough to guess your pseudonym. However, I very much enjoyed your review. It made me smile and laugh. I also...kinda...wanna...read...your fanfictions. And yes, I know, yeah is not yea, but yeah. I was going through some kind of...Idunno, thing. Too lazy to reach the H, I guess. But, I got out of the habit of spelling it non-US style (I'm also from the US!)

Tell me what you think. I changed the story a little. If you catch any inconsistencies, you are probably right. I do not read my stories from beginning to end after a long break. My ideas change! And so does my writing style after a while!

Review, please. ONE YEAR!


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